


Dusk before sundown

by thegoddessinzerogravity



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: (that i made up), Post-Episode s04e13 Escape from Kadavo, Togruta culture, anakin fretting over his questionable babysitting abilities, honestly i dislike the kadavo arc but the idea for this came to me and i couldn't resist it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 12:57:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8373070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegoddessinzerogravity/pseuds/thegoddessinzerogravity
Summary: Shaak Ti gently ran her fingers over the still-sleeping Ahsoka's forehead. "Master Skywalker, I'm going to be honest with you. When Ahsoka first reached the age where she was to be assigned a Master, I was very close to requesting that she be assigned to me, not anyone else."Anakin tried to ignore the sudden ache in his chest, and managed to ask, "Do you regret it?"





	

Anakin's life had started to feel like a long series of med-bay trips, occasionally punctured by grueling missions and exhaustion. 

He'd spent hours as a padawan waiting for Obi-wan to be cleared to leave after something or another had gone wrong. He'd (secretly) stayed up with Padmé for nights on end while the claw marks from the Nexu attack on Geonosis slowly healed. He'd personally checked in on every clone under his command after the disastrous incident on Umbara. That didn't even begin to cover all the time he'd spent in med-bays recovering from injuries himself, in a daze while broken bones and deep gashes healed. 

It never got easier, waiting for someone to wake up. And it was hardest of all when it was someone with so much faith in him. 

He rested his chin on his hands and refocused his gaze on his unconscious padawan. When their ship had touched down on Corusant after escaping Kadavo, Ahsoka had seemed fine, and had reassured him that she didn't feel any nasty side effects at all from her experience. As soon as they stepped back into the Temple, her knees had buckled underneath her, and Anakin had barely managed to catch her before she hit the floor. 

The doctors had concluded that she was severely dehydrated as well as suffering muscle and tissue damage from electric shocks. His heart still pounded with fury at the thought of slavers capturing and torturing his apprentice. Before the mission had gone wrong, the temptation to grab Ahsoka and _run_ had been overwhelming, to get them both as far away from Kadavo as possible. 

But he hadn't. They'd seen the mission through to the bitter end, all of them worn out and hurting. 

Obi-wan had stayed for a little bit when Ahsoka had been admitted, just to ensure she was okay. But he had left to make a report, leaving Anakin and Ahsoka alone in the room. He was prepared to wait alone for as long as it took, but then the doors to the medical wing slid open with a soft _whoosh_. Anakin blinked in surprise. He didn't know who he'd been expecting to see, but Master Shaak Ti was not one of them. 

After a second he remembered his manners, and rose to his feet to greet the senior Jedi. "Master Ti. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

She fixed her huge brown eyes on him. "Master Skywalker. I heard about the mission on Kadavo, and the injuries padawan Tano suffered there. I came to personally check up on her." (Anakin privately wondered just how quickly sensitive information got around the Temple these days.) 

"She's alright. Just dehydrated and a little banged up. They said she'll be fine after bedrest and plenty of food." His hand unconsciously came to rest on her bony wrist, more nervous than he'd want to admit around Shaak Ti. 

The older Togruta folded her hands in front of her, and then stretched them out again. If he didn't know better, he'd almost say she was anxious about something. They were both quiet for a minute, where he returned all his attention to the sleeping Ahsoka on the bed. Master Ti broke the silence.

"Master Skywalker. I respect you greatly, and your abilities as a Jedi." She went quiet, but Anakin suspected she had more to say. "But?" he cautiously promoted. "But she is a Togruta, and you are human. Sometimes, I worry. About how she'll be able to connect to her culture, spending so much time around you and Master Kenobi. Or how much she even knows about Shili. Especially after incidents like this." 

He didn't say anything, fumbling for a response. He knew the basics of Togruta mythology and cultures. Would he be able to adequately teach his student about her own culture, on the other hand . . .

"I did not mean to offend, Master Skywalker." She sat down next to Ahsoka's bed with a swishing of her robes, and he copied her silently. 

"I've thought about that too, Master Ti. About the differences between me and Ahsoka." He tried to form his next question in a less bluntly honest way. "Do you think I'm a good teacher for her?" 

She looked at him, and he instantly felt nine years old again, standing before the Council, terrified and desperate for their approval that would allow him to stay there. Shaak Ti gently lifted one finger and rested it against Ahsoka's forehead, in the middle of her white markings. He pushed away the impulse to bat her away and kept quiet, waiting to hear what she would say next.

"Do you know what facial markings represent, on Shili?" 

"No."

"There are several deities revered by our people. Each deity has their own set of markings, as you can imagine. The closer each individual Togruta's marks are to one of the gods, the more like them that individual will become.

"Ahsoka's marking closely resemble those of Betast. She represents protection, family, and joy. Thus, on Shili Ahsoka would be expected to take up a lifestyle around those values." 

"Master Ti . . ." 

Shaak Ti gently ran her fingers over the still-sleeping Ahsoka's forehead. "Master Skywalker, I'm going to be honest with you. When Ahsoka first reached the age where she was to be assigned a Master, I was very close to requesting that she be assigned to me, not anyone else."

Anakin tried to ignore the sudden ache in his chest, and managed to ask, "Do you regret it?" 

She tipped her head to one side. "I don't know. Part of me feels that were I to have care of her, I would be able to pass on Shili's legacy, and ensure that missions such as these did not veer in such a potentially traumatic direction. But."

She looked up to meet his eyes again. "You obviously fiercely care about her. I've watched you train her in lightsaber combat. You have distinctly similar personalities, and she is flourishing under your tutelage." 

Master Ti stood up suddenly, leaving Anakin still sitting clutching Ahsoka's hand and began to head for the exit. She paused just before she reached the door "Master Skywalker, in answer to your previous question? Yes. I think you're a very good teacher."

*•*

Ahsoka slowly woke up, feeling like she was gently swimming upwards. When she finally came all the way back to reality, she found herself in the med-bay, Anakin sitting by her side. 

Her master immediately noticed her wakefulness. "Ahsoka!" 

His smile was relieved, and contagious, and she out of habit grinned back at him. 

"What happened after we got back?" 

"You collapsed. Doctors say you're dehydrated, and some electric damage. But you'll be okay. Just need to stay off your feet a little while."

"I remember blacking out after getting out of the ship." To tell the truth, she was slightly ashamed of herself for fainting as soon as she got back to the Temple. What kind of Jedi padawan was she? 

He seemed to catch onto her feelings immediately. "Don't worry about it, Snips. Happens to the best of us. Are you thirsty? There's some water here..." 

She gratefully accepted the cup of water, downing almost the entire thing in one gulp and pleadingly stretching out her hand for more. Anakin laughed as he refilled the cup. "Slow down a little bit. You'll make yourself throw up."

She drank the next cup slower, and leaned back into the pillows when she was done. Sleep was already beginning to overtake her again, but there was something she wanted to say. 

"Thank you, Master." 

"For what? The water? You could've easily gotten that yourself." 

She shook her head, vision already blurring from her senses insistently telling her to sleep. "For taking care of me. I don't know if I would have made it if I didn't have you as my teacher." 

She smiled sleepily at him while he carefully drew the covers up over her shoulders. "You're welcome, Ahsoka."

**Author's Note:**

> togruta/shili culture vaguely based off of egyptain mythology, thanks to a comment from a friend pointing out that ahsoka's montrals look very similar to a sarcophagi, and that the myth of bastet and apep (a snake and a cat endlessly battling each other) is surprising similar to twilight of the apprentice. 
> 
> like i said in the tags, i'm not overly fond of the kadavo arc, but i do wish we'd gotten more shaak ti and ahsoka interaction on TCW, seeing as how they're the only two togruta in the temple (i think) 
> 
> feedback appreciated! :D


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